Stronger laws proposed to help wildfire survivors with insurance claims
News: 2018 Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and legislators from wildfire-damaged communities across the state unveiled eight bills (six of which have already been introduced) and two additional legislative proposals—all designed to strengthen consumer protections for wildfire survivors making insurance claims who struggle to recover, rebuild, and move forward. Commissioner Jones and Senators Mike McGuire and Bill Dodd and Assemblymembers Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Jim Wood, Monique Limón and Marc Levine announced the Wildfire Survivors Insurance Recovery bills today.
"Californians whose homes have been destroyed totally or partially by wildfires should not get hung up in insurer red tape when trying to put their lives back together," said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. "Our Wildfire Survivors Insurance Recovery legislative package strengthens the laws protecting wildfire survivors in the insurance claims process and will improve their chances for recovery."
The unprecedented fires of 2017, including the North Bay fires that destroyed and damaged 21,000 homes, have underscored the challenges homeowners face when trying to navigate the insurance claims process.
Jones and his legislative colleagues have met with fire survivors across the state and have heard first-hand the challenges they are facing to obtain their insurance benefits. The struggles that fire survivors are facing under existing law led Jones to direct the Department of Insurance to develop a package of proposed statutory changes to strengthen the law.
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Media note:
Photos from press conference can be found on CDI's Flickr page.
Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.
